The Dragon Witch (For Ris)

Once upon a time there was a witch. Not just any witch, but a good and kind witch. She was beautiful to behold. The towns folks however, did not know how to tell a good witch from a bad witch. One night they attacked her. She turned herself invisible and escaped!

She got really angry. But, being a good witch would not curse the towns folk. Instead she set off in search of a dragon to serve who would protect her. Now she knew that normally dragons prefer princesses but she figured she had a few assets she could bring to the table. For instance, it didn't take her an hour to do her hair in the morning, and she really didn't care if she broke a nail. The big bonus was that she could read and use magic.

She had heard that there was a dragon that lived in the mountain to the north. She decided that this might be the best place to start. So, off she went in search of her dragon.

There were many skirmishes with nasty little creatures off all sorts along the way. She was pleased that she could dispatch them so easily. A few she blew up just because that was always fun. A couple she turned to stone. They looked very nice in the morning sunlight. One she turned into a crow.

He followed her after that, thinking she must be a goddess to have had such power over his body. She decided to let the little goblin crow come along. She did need a familiar after all, the dragon might not take her seriously without one. He was also very smart! He understood her tongue and showed her where things were and which were the best paths to take. In return, she made sure he was safe from the other creatures of the world.

After three days of the two traveling together they finally reached the mountain. The witch looked up the side of it and realized just how big it was. She asked the little goblin crow to fly up and see if he could find a cave that might be big enough for a dragon. He was glad to do so. He was a goblin and loved mountains after
all.

He flew up the side searching for an opening big enough for a dragon. While he did not find a door that seemed the right size, he did see runes marking the stones that said one lived there. So, back down he flew to tell the witch. She was very pleased at what the goblin crow had found and gave him some berries from her pouch, which he gobbled right up.

They found a cave entrance big enough for her to walk through with him sitting on her shoulder. He was not used to flying after all and it still made him tired. Down the winding passages they trod looking and listening for signs of a dragon.

After a few hours, they began to hear all manner of strange sounds. Squawking and snapping, thumping and crashing. If there was a dragon here, he might not be in the mood to receive visitors, but the witch was determined.

They walked on and the sounds became louder and louder. They finally rounded a corner and to both their surprise they found not one dragon, but three. Three baby dragons ran about fighting and brawling with each other. Both the witch and the goblin crow cocked their heads to the side and then looked at each other. This was not what either had expected. Then at the same moment they realized that it had grown very quiet.

The three little dragons had stopped playing to stare at the strangers. They took turns looking from the strangers to one another. Finally one asked who they were. The witch smiled and introduced herself and her little friend. She also told them the story of how she came searching for a great dragon that she could serve, while he protected her.

The little dragons hung their heads and shook them sadly. There were no big dragons here. A knight had come. They were all alone. The witch shook her head too and the goblin crow thought the whole matter sounded about right. That is what knights did after all.

So after much talking together and thinking on the matter, the five came up with an idea. It was a wonderful idea as far as any of them were concerned. The witch knew magic, so she could cast all manner of spells. The little goblin knew the mountain and all the pathways on it. He also has really good eyes now. The little dragons could make all manner of noise and would very soon be rather larger than they were at the moment.

So they decided to pull all their talents together and live there and protect each other. So what if there was no a big dragon around, between them all they could make sure the world believed there was.

So they lived for many years in the safety and comfort of their mountain home.

The End